Department for Transport

London Airports

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect of expansion at (a) Heathrow and (b) Gatwick Airport on the number of jobs that will be created in the North East by (i) 2030 and (ii) 2050.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is currently considering the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report. The Government is not providing a running commentary on this work and nor would it be appropriate to outline specific pieces of evidence before an announcement. Any work to inform an announcement will be set out in subsequent publications and associated consultation.

Department for Transport: Pay

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average hourly earnings were of his Department's (a) BME and (b) non-BME employees in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport is made up of the central Department and the following agencies:Driver and Vehicle Licensing AgencyDriver and Vehicle Standards AgencyMaritime and Coastguard AgencyVehicle Certification Agency The table below shows the average hourly earnings for both BME and non- BME staff within the Department for Transport in 2015 and 2016. It is voluntary for staff to declare their ethnic origin. Data for staff who have chosen not to declare their ethnic origin is also provided in the tables. 2015BMENon BMENot DisclosedAA£8.78£8.69£9.11AO£10.87£10.65£10.55EO£13.54£13.37£13.02HEO£16.73£16.67£16.22SEO£20.82£20.96£20.29G7£27.35£27.62£26.63G6£41.55£34.92£34.78SCS 1£56.63£44.72£47.03SCS 2-£57.14£70.92SCS 3-£69.23£67.672016BMENon BMENot DisclosedAA£8.88£8.91£9.39AO£10.97£10.85£10.76EO£13.58£13.46£13.20HEO£16.59£16.65£16.60SEO£21.51£21.17£21.43G7£27.36£26.99£26.50G6£41.80£34.62£34.80SCS 1£42.34£44.10£48.40SCS 2-£58.25£73.56SCS 3-£70.42£70.36

Home Office

Social Networking

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been convicted of offences of online abuse on (a) Facebook and (b) Twitter under the Communications Act 2003 since 2010.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office do not hold the information requested. The Ministry of Justice hold data on the number of offenders found guilty at all courts in England and Wales.

Home Office: Food

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the annual budget is for food produced for her Department's offices; and what proportion of food produced for her Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office does not set a budget for food produced for its offices. Catering services are provided by private companies under contract at Home Office buildings and provided to staff without subsidy. Details of the proportion of food produced for the Home Office that was sourced from British producers could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Home Office: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visits (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have made to Coventry in each of the last five years.

Karen Bradley: Details of Ministerial visits and those made by senior officials can be found on the gov.uk website. Details of all visits made by officials who are not Senior Civil Servants, are not centrally recorded. Therefore providing this information would incur a disproportionate cost.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Human Rights

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which Ministers of his Department have raised human rights issues in an official capacity, and with whom, in the last four weeks.

Mr David Lidington: Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministers raise a broad range of human rights issues on every appropriate occasion with representatives of foreign governments. However, information on each and every occasion on which human rights have been raised during the period in question is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

China: Nuclear Power

George Kerevan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports the Government has received on involvement by the China National Nuclear Corporation in the illegal supply of 5,000 ring magnets to Pakistan of a type suitable for use in gas centrifuges to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There were media reports in the mid-1990s of a transfer of 5,000 ring magnets by the China National Nuclear Corporation to Pakistan. China strongly denied government awareness or involvement. In 2004 China joined the Nuclear Suppliers Group, of which the UK is also a member, which agrees guidelines for the transfer of potentially sensitive nuclear-related technologies and material between states.

British Nationals Abroad: Prisoners

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of UK citizens in each country who are in prison and facing the death penalty.

James Duddridge: We are currently aware of 13 British nationals in detention abroad who have been sentenced to death. There are a further 54 cases of British nationals who are under trial, appeal or at a pre-trial stage that could lead to a death sentence. Cases with a potential death penalty sentence in Pakistan make up the biggest number (31).We oppose the death penalty in all circumstances. If a British national has been sentenced to death or faces a charge that carries the death penalty, we will raise the case at whatever stage and level we judge to be appropriate.

British Nationals Abroad: Prisoners

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of UK citizens imprisoned abroad in each country.

James Duddridge: We collect global detainee statistics twice a year. On 30 September 2015 we were aware of 2,003 British nationals detained overseas (either pre- or post- sentencing). The largest numbers are detained in USA (499), Spain (186), Ireland (173), Australia (155) and France (102).

Israel: Bedouin

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is making to help prevent the displacement of Bedouin people in southern Israel; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have been encouraging the Israeli authorities and Bedouin communities to find a satisfactory solution to this issue, respecting the equality of all of Israel’s citizens.

West Bank: Housing

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent house demolitions in the West Bank; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are concerned by reports that there has been a large increase in demolitions since the start of 2016, compared with the monthly average in 2015. Our Ambassador to Tel Aviv has raised our concerns on demolitions with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 15 May, and urged them to provide a legal route for Palestinians to obtain building permits.

Israel: Housing

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of house demolitions conducted by Israel in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We do not hold independent information on the number of house demolitions conducted by the Israeli authorities in the last five years. However, according to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, between 2011 and 2015, 2851 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished in Area C and East Jerusalem. This figure includes homes, infrastructure and agriculture-related structures. The breakdown is 2011: 560 Palestinian-owned structured demolished (all in West Bank); 2012: 604 (540 in West Bank and 64 in East Jerusalem); 2013: 663 (565 in West Bank and 98 in East Jerusalem); 2014: 493 (98 in East Jerusalem and 395 in West Bank); and 2015: 531 (453 in the West Bank and 78 in East Jerusalem).

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Food

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the annual budget is for food produced for his Department's offices; and what proportion of food produced for his Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not set a budget for food served in its UK food outlets. Catering services in the UK are provided to staff by an external contractor. Spending on food is determined by the contractor based on sales receipts from FCO staff. The FCO has worked with its supplier to align the existing contract with the requirements of the Government’s food procurement balanced scorecard. By value, approximately 84% of dairy produce, 100% of chicken, 77% of beef, 88% of pork and 91% of other meats is sourced from British producers. The amount of other food sourced from British producers for the FCO was 35% in the last period for which figures are available (January to March 2016); this figure relates to the catering contractor’s main supplier only and includes non-indigenous products (eg tea and coffee) and does not include specialist items (eg scampi).

British Nationals Abroad: Prisoners

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what services are provided by the Government for UK citizens who are imprisoned abroad.

James Duddridge: The UK Government supports British nationals abroad through the FCO’s network of consular staff. The assistance we provide to British nationals detained overseas is primarily concerned with supporting their welfare. Consular officers keep in regular contact with British nationals who request our assistance, either by visiting, by telephone or by letter. The frequency of visits will depend on local prison conditions and the circumstances of the case. Staff will visit more frequently if they think it necessary. With consent, we will provide updates to families, ensure that medical problems are brought to the attention of the local authorities, take up allegations of mistreatment, and consider approaching the local authorities if we believe a British national is not being treated in line with internationally-accepted standards.

Syria: Religious Freedom

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to promote pluralism and religious freedom in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254, which we supported, urges all parties to the UN-facilitated political process to adhere to the principle identified by the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) to protect the rights of all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religious denomination. Through our membership of the ISSG we will focus all our efforts on ensuring that Syrian minorities are included and safeguarded as the political process progresses. In our contact with members of the Syrian opposition who have signed up to the Geneva Communiqué, we have maintained a strong line on our commitment to pluralism, and the need to ensure that Freedom of Religion or Belief is enshrined as a constitutional right. A proportion of the High Negotiations Council, including members of the negotiating team, are drawn from religious minority groups in Syria’s richly diverse population. We are also supporting non-governmental efforts to promote dialogue between different ethnic and sectarian groups and education on tolerance, integration and pluralism.

Rwanda: Prisoners

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the imprisonment of Ingabire Umuhoza Victoire in Rwanda; and if he will make a statement.

James Duddridge: We have been clear in our public and private dialogue with the government of Rwanda that the social and economic progress it has delivered must be mirrored by gains in civil and political rights for its people. This means cultivating a society where a strong opposition and vibrant civil society can flourish. Opposition parties, and their leaders, must be able to operate freely holding the government to account and pushing for change.We have been monitoring the case of Opposition Coalition Leader Victoire Ingabire closely through our High Commission in Kigali since her arrest in 2010. We will continue to stress our grave concern regarding all cases of arbitrary detention and arrest, including that of Mrs Ingabire, to the government of Rwanda.

Ethiopia: Military Aid

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what military support has been provided to the government of Ethiopia in the last five years; what such support he plans to provide in the next five years; and whether the UK currently provides training for Ethiopian security or military personnel.

James Duddridge: Ethiopia is one of the world’s largest peacekeeping troop contributors, heavily engaged in the fight against Al Shabaab in neighbouring Somalia which is vital to build stability in the region and to UK interests. The UK maintains a Defence relationship with the Ethiopian Ministry of National Defence, focused on education and training in non-combat areas. Over the past five years that has been centred on assisting in the setting up of the Ethiopian Peace Support Training Centre, and providing courses that give members of the Ethiopian military an improved range of non-combat skills as they serve on regional peace support operations. We have run a successful programme of English language training, delivered by the British Council, and a Masters course in Security Sector Management, for students from across the Eastern Africa region. We have provided a small number of places to Ethiopian military students on courses in the UK.The importance of good governance, accountability and respect for human rights is central to this programme of engagement. Over the next five years, we will continue to focus on helping Ethiopia to develop its capability to conduct peace support operations in the region, and continue to encourage improved governance and accountability within the security sector.

Ethiopia: Human Rights

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent human rights abuses against the Oromo people in Ethiopia; and what recent representations he has made to his Ethiopian counterpart on that issue.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the capacity of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to investigate the handling of recent protests in Oromia, Ethiopia.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of progress in addressing the UK's concerns over human rights abuses in Ethiopia since his meeting with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros in January 2016.

James Duddridge: We remain deeply concerned about the handling of demonstrations in Oromia, including the reported deaths of a number of protestors, and about those detained under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. We have repeatedly made representations to the Ethiopian Government over the situation in that region. Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for International Development, raised our concerns with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 21 January and Her Majesty’s Ambassador last raised the issue with Prime Minister Hailemariam on 26 April.I met with Dr Tedros at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa on 27 January. I raised the UK’s concerns with regards to the human rights situation. We will continue to raise our concerns with the Government of Ethiopia both through our bilateral engagement, most notably through our ongoing Human Rights Dialogue, as well as jointly with our international partners.The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has been appointed to look into the handling of the protests in Oromia. We will not pre-judge the outcome of their investigation and we await the publication of their report. We will continue to urge the EHRC and the Government of Ethiopia to ensure that their report is credible, transparent and leads to concrete action. We will take a view on what further lobbying, if any, might be appropriate following the publication of the EHRC report.

Libya: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2016  to Question 37106, whether the potential use of RAF aircraft to deliver airstrikes on Daesh targets in Libya has been discussed with the UK's international partners.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are working closely with the new Government of National Accord and international partners to develop a comprehensive approach to defeat Daesh in Libya. Planning so far has focused on training Libyan forces to provide their own security.

Ilois: Resettlement

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether during his recent visit to Mauritius the British Indian Ocean Territory Commissioner discussed prospects for resettlement with Oliver Bancoult, the Leader of the Chagos Refugees Group.

James Duddridge: The Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory, who also holds the position of Director of Overseas Territories in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, visited Mauritius to lead a UK delegation to continue official-level talks started in November in London to implement the recent UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Arbitral Tribunal Award. The Commissioner took the opportunity to, once again, seek Mauritius’ views on the question of resettlement, though as before this was refused by Mauritius. While in Mauritius, the Commissioner joined meetings between the British High Commissioner to Mauritius and Chagossian leaders, including Mr Bancoult. A range of matters were discussed, including the Government’s further work to develop its policy on the question of resettlement of BIOT. The Commissioner indicated that the UK is still considering its policy in this area and will announce developments in due course.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Food

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the annual budget is for food produced for his Department's offices; and what proportion of food produced for his Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) does not set a budget for food served in its offices. Catering services are provided by private companies under contract to BIS which lease facilities in its London offices at 1 Victoria Street, 151 Buckingham Palace Road and Fleetbank House and provide food to staff without subsidy. Spending on food is determined by the contractor based on sales receipts.BIS has worked with its current suppliers to align the existing contract with the requirements of the “balanced scorecard” for public food procurement.The amount of food sourced from British producers for the Department’s three London offices is approximately 75% per month on average based on data for the period January - March 2016.Items that are not available as British produce are fruits (for example – melons, pineapples, grapes, lemons, oranges), continental meats and Fairtrade coffee which is a large part of the sales volume.

Universities

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many students received support from specialist study skills tutors in English universities in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the funding of Band 4 specialist study skills tutors will be a permissible use of the disabled student allowance under the Government's proposed changes to that allowance.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of proposed changes to the disabled students allowance on the ability of disabled student to access non-medical help and to develop coping strategies and learning styles during their time at university.

Joseph Johnson: We do not hold information on the expenditure on individual types of non-medical help support that are available to disabled students through Disabled Students’ Allowances.The Government’s response to the consultation on reforms to Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs), published in December 2015, confirmed that from 2016/17 support roles from band 4 will continue to be primarily funded through DSAs, unless reasonable adjustments are in place that remove the need for such support.A full equality impact assessment on the proposed changes to Disabled Students’ Allowances was published in December 2015.

Universities: Admissions

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of students from low-income households attended Russell Group universities in the last three years.

Joseph Johnson: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes information on students at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Provider-level measures on the share of their students who have come from disadvantaged backgrounds are available as part of the UK Performance Indicators; these include the proportion of young full-time first degree entrants who are from low participation neighbourhoods, otherwise known as POLAR3 quintile 1 wards. POLAR3 is an indicator of disadvantage in the absence of income information. The data is provided in the table:Percentage of UK-domiciled young (1) full-time first degree entrants from POLAR3 quintile 1 wardsEnglish Higher Education InstitutionsAcademic Years 2012/13 to 2014/15Academic YearAll Russell Group HEIs in England (2) 2012/136.0% 2013/146.0% 2014/156.4%Source: HESA Performance Indicators https://www.hesa.ac.uk/pis/ Notes: (1) Young students are those younger than 21 at 30 September in the academic year in which they commenced their studies (2) The Russell Group HEIs included are all those that were part of the Russell Group on April 13th 2016  My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced in January 2016 that the Government intends to legislate to require individual universities to publish statistical information on admissions by gender, ethnicity and social background of students in order to make each institution’s record on admissions more transparent.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of proposed changes to the disabled students allowances on the number of disabled students accessing higher education.

Joseph Johnson: The reform of Disabled Students’ Allowances is intended to ensure higher education institutions are consistently meeting their duties to disabled students under the Equality Act, and is not expected to impact on the number of disabled students accessing higher education.The Government carried out an Equality Analysis as part of the recent consultation on reforms to Disabled Students’ Allowances. This is available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/481527/bis-15-658-disabled-students-allowances-equality-analysis.pdf

Business: Stafford

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to support businesses in Stafford constituency.

Anna Soubry: The Government is working to make the UK the best place to start and grow a business by supporting businesses across the country. In Stafford, 42 Government backed Start-Up Loans have been drawn down since September 2012 with a value of over £218,000. A Regional Growth Fund award of £4m made in 2011 has attracted private investment of £56.5 million, delivering 1,600 jobs. Since May 2010, 26 loans have been drawn down in Stafford, worth over £2.6 million, from the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme. Businesses in Stafford also have access to the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Growth Hub which was live from September 2014, which is one of a network of 39 Growth Hubs set up across England.

Business: Stafford

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent steps his Department has taken to increase the level of access to credit for businesses in Stafford constituency in the last 12 months.

Anna Soubry: The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 contained two specific policies to support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in accessing finance.The first requires major banks to refer SMEs they reject for finance to designated ‘finance platforms’ that can help match SMEs with alternative finance providers. This will ensure that viable SMEs, including businesses in Stafford, that may not fit the major banks’ risk appetite can still get the finance they need to grow and expand. Three platforms have recently been designated by HM Treasury on the advice of the British Business Bank and are expected to come into operation later this year.The second requires the major banks to share information on their SME customers, with the SME’s permission, with other lenders through designated Credit Reference Agencies. This will improve the ability of challenger banks and alternative finance providers to conduct accurate risk assessments and level the playing field between providers and make it easier for SMEs to get finance from providers other than their bank.The Government is supporting the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) and Crowdfunding sectors, which provide alternative sources of finance for both businesses and individuals. The British Business Bank, for example, has invested £100m in SMEs via five P2P platforms.In addition, the British Business Bank’s Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme has facilitated over £2.6 billion of bank lending and other finance to over 25,000 SMEs. Since the start of the scheme, 45 EFG loans have been drawn down in Stafford worth over £5 million. Government has also provided loans through the Start Up Loans Company to help new businesses in Stafford. 42 start up businesses in Stafford have secured a loan from the Start Up Loans Company, with a total value of over £218, 000.More widely, credit conditions for business continue to improve with net lending to SMEs in 2015 positive across the complete year, the first time this has happened since the financial crisis.

Minimum Wage: Arrears

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answer of 10 May 2016 to Question 36447, how much of the £10.3 million of minimum wage arrears recovered in 2015-16 was recovered from the 145 employers who were not issued with a Notice of Underpayment and who did not have to pay a penalty.

Nick Boles: 60 employers responded to the National Minimum Wage campaign announced by HM Revenue and Customs on 29 July 2015. Between them, these employers voluntarily disclosed arrears of £786,038 owed to 4869 workers.

Minimum Wage

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answer of 14 September 2015 to Question 8859, how many employers took advantage of the National Minimum Wage campaign announced on 30 July 2015 to self-report their non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage; how many workers were identified as having been underpaid by those employers; and what the total sum was of arrears recovered for those workers.

Nick Boles: 60 employers responded to the National Minimum Wage campaign announced by HM Revenue and Customs on 29 July 2015. Between them, these employers voluntarily disclosed arrears of £786,038 owed to 4869 workers.

Laboratories: Investment

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to encourage private investment in laboratories involved in research and science.

Joseph Johnson: Government has put in place incentives to encourage private investment in capital facilities (which includes investment in research facilities) and to encourage business investment in research and development.The Government is providing £900m through the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) to secure and accelerate private co-investment into university research infrastructure. It provides funding for large long-term capital projects, which must demonstrate at least double external private co-investment and build on a strong record of research excellence. So far £500m from the Fund has levered over £1.4bn additional investment into over 30 strategic research collaborations between universities and businesses and charities.Annual UK Government support for innovation includes £800m through the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, predominantly through Innovate UK and around £1.75bn through fiscal support measures. The Government’s investment in innovation is attracting increasing investment from private sources. In 2014, UK Business Enterprise Research and Development expenditure, increased by 6% to its highest level on record (£19.9 billion), surpassing 2013’s high by £0.9 billion. In the same year, total business employment in R&D in the UK increased by 7% to 192,000 (Full Time Equivalents).

Nurses: Training

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many students who completed access courses secured places on nursing degrees in each of the last three years.

Joseph Johnson: The number of students who entered nursing degrees at English Higher Education Institutions having previously completed Access Courses is recorded by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and has been provided in the table.Full-time Undergraduate Entrants to Nursing by Highest Qualification on EntryEnglish Higher Education InstitutionsAcademic Years 2012/13 to 2014/15Academic YearEntrants who had completed Access CoursesTotal entrants2012/134,27521,5102013/144,92522,9202014/155,51523,310   Source: BIS Analysis of HESA Student Record Notes: (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 5 (2) Nursing students were determined to be those in courses falling under JACS3 code B7-"Nursing" https://www.hesa.ac.uk/jacs3 (3) Counts refer to the total Full-Person Equivalents (FPE). These are derived by splitting student instances between the different subjects that make up their course aim (4) Access Courses were determined to be those with a highest entry qualification (QUALENT3) code of X00 or X01 - higher education access course

Overseas Trade: Mexico

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to increase UK trade with Mexico.

Anna Soubry: Increasing exports is a key focus in the Government’s long-term economic plan. There is a cross Whitehall approach to exports and whenever Government Ministers are on overseas trips, they have a trade focus, supporting UK businesses to take advantage of export opportunities, to help remove barriers to trade and to create a strong business environment.A key part of this work is to identify export opportunities, many of which are based around the needs of high-growth and emerging markets. We are making those opportunities available to UK businesses through the Exporting is GREAT campaign which has elicited over 25,000 responses to the 7,000 export opportunities published online since it launched in November 2015.Mexico is an important export market with high potential for growth and, in recognition of this, my noble Friend Lord Price went there on his first overseas visit as Trade and Investment Minister in early April 2016. Mexico is also the recipient of increased FCO Prosperity and Newton Fund budgets. In July, High Level Economic Talks will take place in Mexico.

Department for International Development

Ethiopia: Overseas Aid

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what guarantees she has received that UK development aid for Ethiopia is not used for military or security purposes or the so-called villagisation dispersal programme; and what safeguards are in place to ensure that UK aid to Ethiopia is used only for agreed development purposes.

Mr Nick Hurd: All DFID aid in Ethiopia is administered through specific programmes, each with a strong set of controls, high standard monitoring and strong DFID oversight. Aid in Ethiopia is distributed through a number of channels. Where a programme is administered using government systems a standard fiduciary risk assessment evaluating the national public financial management system is mandatory. As with all aid spending, strong checks and balances and regular monitoring ensure that aid is used for the purposes intended.UK aid in Ethiopia has contributed to the remarkable developmental gains the country has made over the past decade. The UK has helped reduce poverty and child mortality in Ethiopia by a quarter and put four more million children in primary school.

Ethiopia: Overseas Aid

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what conditions are applied under the terms of agreement with the Ethiopian government on the provision of UK aid; and what process is used to assess the Ethiopian government's compliance with such conditions.

Mr Nick Hurd: The United Kingdom’s aid relationship with any government is based on an assessment of commitment to our partnership principles, which include economic, social and human rights and financial management. A guidance note which sets out DFID’s approach to the partnership principles is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/358341/how-to-partnership-principles-march2014a.pdf. As outlined in the policy, DFID makes regular assessments of partnership principles based on a wide range of sources. Sources include local and international non-governmental organisations and think tanks, academic institutions and other development partners. Overall we currently assess that the Government of Ethiopia remains committed to the underlying principles of our partnership.

Ethiopia: Overseas Aid

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding the Government provides to the Protection of Basic Services Programme in Ethiopia.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government no longer provides funding to the Protection of Basic Services (later known as the Promotion of Basic Services) Programme in Ethiopia. The International Development Secretary announced withdrawal of funding to this programme in February, 2015.

Department for Education

Future Leaders Trust: Finance

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has provided to The Future Leaders Trust in each of the last three years.

Nick Gibb: The total funding provided by the Department to The Future Leaders Trust in each of the last three years is available via the links below. The accounts for 2015-16 will be published in July 2016. For 2014-15 published accounts (page 235):https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/517766/DfE-consolidated-annual-report-and-a-counts-2014-to-2015-Web-version.pdf For 2013-14 published accounts (page 157):https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/397024/DfE_consolidated_annual_report_and_accounts_2013_to_2014.pdf For 2012-13 published accounts (page 153):https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/275186/DFE_Group_Consolidated_12-13_ARA.pdf

Teachers: Training

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of teachers who have participated in The Future Leaders Trust programmes in the last three years are now in senior leadership posts.

Nick Gibb: The Department currently funds two training programmes delivered by the Future Leaders Trust (FLT): the High Potential Senior Leaders programme and the Talented Leaders Programme. 94% of teachers who have participated in the High Potential Senior Leaders programme in the last three years are now in headship or senior leadership posts. This figure includes participants in their first, second or final year of the programme. In August 2014, FLT was awarded the contract to deliver the Talented Leaders Programme. The first cohort in 2015 was made up of 16 participants. As of May 2016, 100% of these are still in post as head teachers. FLT also delivered a pilot programme of the Multi-Academy Trusts (MAT) CEO course for 23 participants. Recent analysis shows that all participants were still in leadership posts in MATs or similar educational organisations.

Animal Welfare: Curriculum

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the Government will take steps to incorporate animal welfare into the national curriculum for primary school children in England.

Nick Gibb: The National Curriculum, taught from September 2014, focuses on the essential knowledge so that teachers can design a wider school curriculum that best meets the needs of their pupils. The programmes of study for science include the opportunity to teach children about different animals, their needs for survival and their environment. Beyond the prescribed curriculum, schools have the freedom to teach subjects or topics, such as animal welfare, to ensure that children receive a rounded education.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Empty Property

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost was for maintaining his Department's properties classified as void in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015.

Mark Lancaster: Information on the cost of maintaining Service Family Accommodation (SFA) on Ministry of Defence (MOD) properties classed as void prior to 2014-15 is not held.For 2014-15 the cost was £5.590 million and for 2015-16 the cost was £5.714 million. This covers the standard cost of retaining SFA when it is vacant, regardless of whether any maintenance is required.

Intelligence and Security Committee: RAF Menwith Hill

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when any member of the Intelligence and Security Committee last visited NSA/NRO Menwith Hill in their capacity as a member of that committee.

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any member of the Intelligence and Security Committee visited the US military bases at Mildenhall, USAF Croughton, USAF Lakenheath, USAF Fairford, USAF Molesworth and USAF Feltwell in the last five years.

Michael Fallon: The Intelligence and Security Committee does not comment on the details of its work programme. Where appropriate it publishes information on visits it has undertaken in its Annual Reports.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Food

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the annual budget is for food produced for his Department's offices; and what proportion of food produced for his Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson: Since 1998 the Department for Work and Pensions has outsourced the provision and maintenance for the majority of its estate to Telereal Trillium under a 20 year Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract that expires on 31 March 2018.Under the terms of the contract, Telereal Trillium provides fully-serviced accommodation, including the provision of catering services. Telereal Trillium provide catering through their Service Partners, Compass Group. The Department pays an all-inclusive facility unit price for sites and we are unable to separate the costs for catering.The amount of food sourced from British producers for DWP was 42% (Jan – Mar 2016). This figure does not include the considerable spend on non-indigenous products purchased for use in the DWP contract with large volumes of coffee as well as rice, pasta, tea, banana's, citrus, exotic fruits etc. Additionally as this period falls in winter some UK seasonal products are not available so have been procured from the EU.

Child Support Agency: Expenditure

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much expenditure was incurred by the Child Support Agency in making ex-gratia or special payments as a result of poor service or errors by that agency in each of the last three years.

Priti Patel: The information on the total amount paid as ex-gratia or special payments across child maintenance in the last three years is in the attached table.Financial Year£'000s2013 - 2014£1,0902014 - 2015£8472015 – 2016 *£941 Notes -These amounts include payments made across the Child Support Agency and Child Maintenance Service for the following:Ex-gratia – Actual Financial LossEx-gratia – ConsolatoryCompensation for Delay *The figure for 2015/16 is draft and subject to audit.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Communities and Local Government: Food

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the annual budget is for food produced for his Department's offices; and what proportion of food produced for his Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

Mr Mark Francois: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not have an annual food budget. Catering services are provided via a contract with Interserve Plc, and is operated on a nil subsidy basis.Annual spend is determined by the contractor and is informed by private sales to members of staff.Approximately 34% of products across all food and drink categories were sourced from British producers as at March 2016.This proportion reflects that a large volume of food and drink sold includes non-indigenous products such as rice, pasta, tea, coffee and bananas, and that as this period falls in the Winter season there are out of UK seasonal products procured from the wider EU.The proportion also reflects consumer trends, and the commercial contractor’s pursuit of value for money given the nil subsidy arrangement.

Leasehold

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his plans are for the reform of leaseholds related to properties with two households in one building where the freehold is held by one owner; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: The Government has no plans to put in place reforms in this situation.

HM Treasury

Bank Services: ICT

Adam Afriyie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the role of financial technology in encouraging consumers to switch their current account.

Harriett Baldwin: The government is committed to increasing competition in banking to improve outcomes for consumers. This includes delivering the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) which allows customers to switch their personal or business current account where they see a better deal – simply, quickly and reliably. Consumers have switched over 2.8 million times since the service was launched in 2013. Making it easier for people to understand and compare banking products and services can help drive consumer engagement and could lead to an increase in switching. Financial technology is an important part of this. In its recent provisional decision on remedies, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) proposed requiring the largest retail banks in Great Britain and Northern Ireland to develop and adopt an open API banking standard by early 2018.This will make it easier for financial technology firms to make use of customer bank data in a variety of innovative ways, including providing services that make it easier for consumers to compare products and shop around for a better deal. The government welcomes the CMA’s ongoing work as a crucial step towards the goal of a highly competitive banking sector, and stands ready to take action as necessary once the CMA publishes its final report in the summer.

Treasury: Food

Nick Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual budget is for food produced for his Department's offices; and what proportion of food produced for his Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

Harriett Baldwin: The Treasury does not procure food directly for the Department. The catering facilities are provided by an external company engaged by the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) management company. The catering contract is run on a nil subsidy and therefore is of no cost to the Department. The catering provider is obligated to follow the cross government requirements of sourcing its produce under Red Tractor guidelines.

Public Sector: EU Nationals

Mrs Anne Main: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost of providing public services for EU nationals who remain in the UK for less than one year.

Greg Hands: No estimate has been made of the cost of providing public services for EU nationals who remain in the UK for less than one year. The Government’s ambition is to reduce permanent migration into this country to a more manageable level. We remain committed to bringing migration down to sustainable levels, which is in the best interests of our country. The Government has taken steps to control migration by dealing with those who shouldn't be here, by deporting illegal immigrants and improving the skills of British workers, so we reduce the demand for skilled migrants. The Prime Minister has re-negotiated the UK’s position within the EU to close back-door routes into the UK and exert greater control over EU migration by tackling the draw of our welfare system. But net migration remains too high and there is still more work to do. Data recently released by HMRC showed recently-arrived EU migrants paid £2.5 billion more in tax than they received in tax credits or child benefit in 2013/14.

Local Government Finance

Mrs Anne Main: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his Department's policy to provide additional funding to local authorities for providing public services for nationals of other EU member states who remain in the UK for less than one year; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: ‘Additional funding’ has been interpreted to mean welfare expenditure. There is no policy of additional welfare expenditure for nationals of other EU member states who remain in the UK for less than one year. If the UK votes to remain in the EU, the Prime Minister’s February deal will take effect. Included in the deal is the ‘Emergency Brake’, a mechanism to exclude recently-arrived EEA workers from access to full UK in-work benefits for 4 years. Initially the Brake will involve complete exclusion for in work benefits. The deal also confirmed that in future the UK will not have to pay any means-tested unemployment benefits to EU nationals who come to the UK as job seekers.

Bank Services

Mr David Lammy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has to submit evidence to the independent review of the British Bakers Association Access to Banking Protocol led by Professor Russell Griggs.

Mr David Lammy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions his Department has had with the British Bankers' Association Industry Protocol on how effectively banks have applied and implemented the Protocol during its first year and the efficacy of the Protocol in mitigating the effect of branch closures on (a) local businesses and (b) the elderly, disabled and other vulnerable customers.

Mr David Lammy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of the British Bankers' Association Industry Protocol on Branch Closures in mitigating the effect of branch closures on local businesses and customers.

Mr David Lammy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the extent to which banks have effectively applied and implemented the British Banker's Association Industry Protocol.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government welcomed the industry-wide Access to Banking protocol announced in March 2015. The Government believes that banks should act in the best interests of their customers and continue to serve the needs of the consumer as well as the wider economy. Although decisions on opening and closing branches are commercial ones, in which the Government does not intervene, it is imperative that the banks live up to the spirit, as well as the letter, of the commitments in the protocol. The British Bankers’ Association consulted relevant government departments and the regulator, as envisaged in the protocol, when it appointed Professor Russel Griggs to lead the independent review. The independent reviewer’s role is to consider and identify best practice in implementation and, if appropriate, make recommendations for amendments to the protocol to ensure it continues to meet its objectives. The Government has not assessed the impact of the protocol or banks’ compliance with their commitments in the protocol and as such will not submit formal evidence. However, the Government awaits the independent review’s conclusions, and any recommendations that the reviewer makes for the future of the protocol, when they are published later this year.

Banks: Closures

Mr David Lammy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of bank branch closures on (a) affected communities, (b) local businesses and (c) customers.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government believes that banks should act in the best interests of their customers and continue to serve the needs of the consumer as well as the wider economy. This is why the Government welcomed the industry-wide Access to Banking protocol announced in March 2015. The protocol commits each participating bank to carry out a number of steps when it is closing a branch, including the preparation of meaningful local impact assessments. After deciding to close a branch a bank must also engage with key local stakeholders to understand the potential impact of the close on the local community and branch users. The results of the engagement and the impact assessment will be published before the branch is closed. Professor Russel Griggs is leading an independent ‘one year on’ review of the protocol. The Government looks forward to seeing the conclusions of the review. However, banks and building societies need to balance customer interests, market competition, and other commercial factors when considering their strategy. Decisions on the opening and closing of individual branches are taken by the management of each bank on a commercial basis without intervention from Government.

Banks: Closures

Mr David Lammy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations his Department has received from (a) Barclays, (b) HSBC, (c) Lloyds, (d) RBS, (e) Santander, (f) Halifax and (g) other retail banks on bank branch closures.

Harriett Baldwin: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Treasury: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many visits (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have made to Coventry in each of the last five years.

Harriett Baldwin: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Bank Services: Fees and Charges

Andrew Rosindell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on competition between banks of the adoption of the recent recommendations of the Competition and Markets Authority on the capping of unarranged overdraft fees.

Harriett Baldwin: The government is committed to increasing competition in banking to improve outcomes for consumers. That is why we set up the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as a single, stronger competition regulator, to promote competition and ensure markets work well for consumers, businesses and the wider economy. We support the CMA’s ambition to increase competition through its retail banking market investigation, including helping overdraft users understand the fees associated with overdrafts and mitigating the adverse effects of unarranged overdraft fees. The CMA’s investigation is ongoing and it is currently consulting on the provisional decision on remedies. The government welcomes the CMA’s work as a crucial step towards the goal of a highly competitive banking system, and stands ready to take action as necessary once the CMA publishes its final report in the summer.

Debts: USA

Andrew Rosindell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on the economy of the UK of the recent dumping of US debt by China, Russia and Brazil.

Harriett Baldwin: The Treasury continuously monitors global economic developments and their impact on the UK, including the debt operations of major countries, as part of the normal process of policy development. As one of the most open trading economies in the world with a large financial sector, we have to recognise that the UK is not immune to the external events in the world economy. This is precisely why the UK has been working through its long-term economic plan. Since 2010 the plan has been focussed on reducing the deficit and ensuring sound public finances, while delivering the supply side reforms necessary to improve long-term productivity growth. That has allowed an active monetary policy to support the economy while ensuring the fiscal position is sustainable in the long term.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Solar Power

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much domestic solar PV by MWp has been deployed in quarter 2 of the new FIT scheme; and what the cap is for this quarter.

Andrea Leadsom: Domestic solar PV (typically over 4kW) is included within the over 10kW solar PV cap. The quarter two 2016 cap for solar PV over 10kW was set at 76.96 MW, which includes unutilised capacity from the quarter one 2016 cap. As of 17 May, 12.141 MW of capacity had been deployed within this cap. Ofgem’s regular reports on the Feed-In Tariff deployment caps can be found at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-programmes/feed-tariff-fit-scheme/feed-tariff-fit-reports-and-statistics/feed-tariff-deployment-caps-reports. More recent deployment levels followed a high number of applications before the introduction of caps and reduced tariffs on 8 February. For example, domestic (over 4kW) deployment in MW in December 2015 was more than double that of December 2014, and January 2016 more than triple that of January 2015.

Coal: Imports

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what her Department's policy is on restricting the import of cheap, inferior-quality coal to the UK.

Andrea Leadsom: The decision of where to source coal is a commercial decision for companies. Through our efforts to decarbonise our electricity system, we are increasing the diversity of our energy mix and reducing our reliance on unabated coal.

Solar Power

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the number of job losses in the UK solar SME sector arising from the closure of the feed-in tariff scheme and its replacement with a capped scheme.

Andrea Leadsom: The projected employment impacts of the revised feed-in tariff scheme were set out in Annex C of the impact assessment published alongside the FIT Review government response. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486084/IA_-_FITs_consultation_response_with_Annexes_-_FINAL_SIGNED.pdf This is a UK success story with 99% of solar installed since 2010 and 8GW already deployed.

Solar Power

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of how many UK solar companies have gone out of business or stopped installing solar PV as a result of policy changes made since May 2015.

Andrea Leadsom: We recognise the efforts the solar industry is making to adapt following those changes; changes that we had to make to protect billpayers from the ever-increasing costs of support.We are encouraged by the way the industry is responding: deployment of solar under the revised FIT scheme continues, at rates that match those seen historically following revisions to the scheme.We expect that deployment will increase further as costs continue to fall, and the industry acclimatizes to the new system.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

George Kerevan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether there is any involvement of China National Nuclear Corporation  as a stakeholder in the construction or ownership of the Hinkley Point C reactor.

Andrea Leadsom: This is a commercial matter for EDF Energy. Any company involved in the UK civil nuclear sector must meet the robust requirements of our regulatory regime.

Carbon Emissions

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Energy Technologies Institute report, published on 12 May 2016, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policy of carbon capture and storage technology contributing to meeting the UK's commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government views Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as having a potentially important role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK’s economy. The Government will set out its approach to CCS in due course, and the recent Energy Technologies Institute report, funded by DECC, will inform the Government’s thinking.

Carbon Emissions

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment she has made of the financial viability of (a) carbon capture and storage and (b) alternative options in helping to reduce the UK's carbon dioxide emissions.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government views Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as having a potentially important role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK’s economy. However, CCS is currently too expensive and costs must come down. Government will set out its approach to CCS in due course, informed by the findings from Lord Oxburgh’s CCS Advisory Group. In comparing the costs of other low-carbon technologies in the future, DECC typically use the levelised costs of electricity generation. Levelised costs include capital and operating costs over the lifetime of a plant, as well as DECC estimates of projected fuel and carbon costs. We are currently undertaking a comprehensive review of our evidence on levelised costs of electricity generation.

Carbon Sequestration

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policy of the conclusion of the Energy Technologies Institute report, published on 12 May 2016, that there are no technical hurdles to permanently and safely storing large quantities of carbon dioxide off the coast of the UK.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government views Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as having a potentially important role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK’s economy. The Government will set out its approach to CCS in due course, and the recent Energy Technologies Institute report, funded by DECC, will inform the Government’s thinking.

Carbon Sequestration

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when her Department plans to produce a forward plan for carbon capture and storage strategy in the UK.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government will set out its approach to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) in due course, informed by the findings of Lord Oxburgh’s CCS Advisory Group which is planning to report to the Government shortly .

Department for Energy and Climate Change: Pay

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the average hourly earnings were of her Department's (a) BME and (b) non-BME employees in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016.

Andrea Leadsom: The average hourly earnings for a) BME and (b) non-BME employees in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016 are set out in the tables below*: 2015 – Hourly earningsGradeEthnicityAverage hourly earnings (£)AOBME12.38Non-BME11.89EOBME14.15Non-BME14.07HEOBME16.58Non-BME16.71SEOBME19.55Non-BME20.15Grade 7BME25.73Non-BME26.22Grade 6BME31.94Non-BME31.82SCSBME36.63Non-BME42.28  2016 – Hourly earnings*GradeEthnicityAverage hourly earnings (£)AOBME11.65Non-BME11.21EOBME13.98Non-BME13.45HEOBME16.35Non-BME16.17SEOBME19.47Non-BME19.51Grade 7BME25.73Non-BME26.02Grade 6BME31.58Non-BME31.80SCSBME36.87Non-BME42.04* Please note:- Hourly earnings are calculated based on FTE salary, a 37 hour week, and include London and Aberdeen staff. - Data is based on employees that have declared their ethnicity. Those who have not responded, or ‘prefer not to say’ are excluded from the data. - The trend in lower average hourly earnings from 2015 to 2016 is likely to be due to the exit scheme in March 2016, which consisted of generally longer serving and higher paid staff leaving the organisation

Green Deal Scheme

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the performance of the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund.

Andrea Leadsom: The uptake and implementation of the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF) has been assessed as part of the wider Green Deal evaluation programme. This information can be found via the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/green-deal-and-eco-evaluationhttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/green-deal-assessments-researchhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-in-to-the-green-deal-and-eco-programme-supply-chain-follow-up-studyhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-household-tracker-survey-july-2014-dip-headline-findings. By the end of February 2016, 35,330 GDHIF vouchers had been paid, following the installation of 41,263 measures. Around three quarters of the measures installed were solid wall insulation (74 per cent of measures installed). These and other latest statistics which include those relating to GDHIF are to be found via this link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/household-energy-efficiency-national-statistics-headline-release-may-2016.

Coal Fired Power Stations

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of coal burnt in UK coal-fired power stations in each of the last three years was mined in the UK.

Andrea Leadsom: This can be estimated by subtracting the amount of steam coal imports (mainly used by coal-fired power stations) by the total amount of coal used in electricity generation. Please see the table below:  Imports of steam coal (thousand tonnes)Coal used in generation (thousand tonnes)UK produced coal used for generation * (thousand tonnes)Proportion of UK produced coal used for generation %201342,99550,0417,04614.0%201435,29438,4003,1068.0%2015 (provisional)20,63129,3428,71129.6%* This includes stocks from earlier years.   Source:Energy Trends tables 2.1 and 2.4, available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solid-fuels-and-derived-gases-section-2-energy-trends.

Cabinet Office

Anti-corruption Summit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a list of the people who attended the Anti-Corruption Summit on 12 May 2016.

Matthew Hancock: A list of attendees at the Anti-Corruption Summit has now been published on gov.uk and laid in the library of the House.

Passports

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people resident in the UK hold an EU non-British passport and previously held a non-EU country passport.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



Attachment 1 for Member
(Word Document, 14.01 KB)




Attachment 2 for Member
(Word Document, 12.57 KB)




UKSA Letter to Member - Non-EU Country Passports
(PDF Document, 119.83 KB)

Department of Health

Antibiotics

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the use of antibiotics.

Jane Ellison: The UK Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy is an ambitious programme to slow the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance, which was published in 2013. The Strategy aims to prevent infection, protect the antibiotics that we have and promote the development of new drugs and alternative treatments. Each of these initiatives will contribute to reductions in the inappropriate use of antibiotics. Implementation of our Strategy has met with success in primary care. Between April and December 2015, two million fewer prescriptions were dispensed compared to the same period in 2014, a reduction of 7.9%. Globally, the United Kingdom has been at the forefront of successful negotiations of the antimicrobial resistance resolution at World Health Organization last year, with equivalent resolutions relating to food and agriculture and animal health. A key part of this work is aimed at reducing the risk of infections and improving antimicrobial stewardship. We are also aiming to raise the profile of antimicrobial resistance yet higher through a successful high level meeting on antimicrobial resistance at the UN General Assembly in September this year. Furthermore, we will use the recently published recommendations from Lord O’Neill’s Review on antimicrobial resistance to address the global challenge of unblocking the antibiotic pipeline and reducing unnecessary antibiotic usage in both the human and animal health sectors.

Menopause

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assistance his Department provides for women going through the menopause.

Jane Ellison: Women who experience menopausal symptoms that are difficult for them to manage receive support and advice from their general practitioner (GP). GPs can advise on treatments, suggest lifestyle changes and refer women to menopause specialists.To help ensure women receive the best possible care, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published a guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of menopause in November 2015. This sets out the support, information and treatments needed to address the often debilitating symptoms that women suffer.To raise awareness of the menopause among women and their families, trusted, evidence-based information is available on the NHS Choices website at:http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Menopause/Pages/Introduction.aspxThis includes an overview of what the menopause is, what the symptoms and treatment options are and real life examples of women’s experiences.

Incinerators: Health Hazards

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent progress has been made on Public Health England's study into the health impact of incinerators.

Jane Ellison: The Public Health England funded study by the Small Area Health Statistics Unit (SAHSU) at Imperial College and the Environmental Research Group at King’s College, London, investigating the potential link between emissions from municipal waste incinerators and health outcomes is ongoing. It is expected that papers from the project will be submitted by SAHSU to peer reviewed journals later in 2016.

Alcoholic Drinks: Consumption

Byron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Chief Medical Officer's revised guidelines on alcohol consumption on consumer behaviour.

Jane Ellison: The National Institute for Health Research has awarded funding to The University of Sheffield Alcohol Research Group to evaluate the new drinking guidelines. The details will be worked through once the conclusions of the consultation are published.

Alcoholic Drinks: Consumption

Byron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to adopt the recommendations made by the Chief Medical Officer on the consumption of alcohol.

Jane Ellison: The United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ alcohol guidelines give the public the latest and most up to date scientific information so that they can make informed decisions about their own drinking.

Alcoholic Drinks: Consumption

Byron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish all responses received to the Chief Medical Officer's consultation on the revised alcohol guidelines.

Jane Ellison: As with all consultations of this sort, individual responses to consultations are treated as confidential so not usually published. However, the Department will provide a summary of all the responses for each of the consultation questions in the Government response to the advice that the UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidance.

Alcoholic Drinks: Consumption

Byron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many EU member states have adopted guidance recommending the same level of weekly alcohol consumption for men and women.

Jane Ellison: No other European country has carried out a full scientific review of their alcohol guidelines at least in the last ten years.

Alcoholic Drinks: Consumption

Byron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many consumers and organisations have made representations on the Chief Medical Officer's revised guidelines on alcohol consumption.

Jane Ellison: We have received 1,017 responses to the UK Chief Medical Officers’ alcohol guidelines consultation, including responses as part of a campaign and responses that did not answer some or any of the specific consultation questions.

Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs Advisory Committee

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how he plans to ensure that former sex workers and ex-intravenous drug users will be involved in the SaBTO blood donations review group; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) is carrying out a review of blood donor selection criteria. Representatives of health charities that work with sex workers and those with a history of intravenous drug use are members of the review group. A public meeting was held on 11 April 2016, which provided an opportunity for anyone with an interest in the review to participate in information exchange.The terms of reference for the review, and membership, together with questions and answers from the public meeting will shortly be available on the SaBTO website. The review will be holistic and evidence relating to the risks of blood-borne infections in people who have previously injected drugs or received money or drugs for sex will be included. The review will be incremental, with published progress reports and any intermediate advice.

Breastfeeding: Obesity

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ensure that the benefits of breastfeeding will be included in the upcoming obesity strategy.

Jane Ellison: Our Childhood Obesity Strategy, which will be launched in the summer, will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 11 March 2016 to Question 29747, whether wider disclosure of the content of the personal email exchange between Professor Grifo and a member of the expert panel convened by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority would breach patient confidentiality.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 11 March 2016 to Question 29747, whether any of the correspondence cited in the oral contribution of the Lord Patel on 24 February 2015 had been given unredacted to concurrently serving members of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority executive.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 11 March 2016 to Question 29747, what prompted the email exchange between the relevant expert panel member and Professor Grifo.

Jane Ellison: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that wider disclosure of the content of the personal email exchange between Professor Grifo and a member of the expert panel convened by the Authority would not breach patient confidentiality. The HFEA has previously advised that the relevant expert panel member contacted Professor Grifo in a personal capacity following the third Scientific Review of the safety and efficacy of methods to avoid mitochondrial disease in 2014. The HFEA has also advised that the information in question was provided in confidence to the expert panel convened by the Authority. Members of the HFEA Executive who provided administrative support to the work of the panel have seen this information.

Pregnancy: Mental Illness

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will review its policy on the provision of independent counselling for women with underlying mental health conditions with unwanted pregnancies, to ensure that such women are provided with information on (a) alternatives to abortion and (b) grants and other assistance available should they decide to continue with their pregnancies.

Jane Ellison: The Required Standard Operating Procedures (RSOPs) for all abortion service providers states that “All women requesting an abortion should be offered the opportunity to discuss their options and choices with, and receive therapeutic support from, a trained pregnancy counsellor and this offer should be repeated at every stage of the care pathway” (RSOP 14). The RSOPs are contained within the Procedures for the Approval of Independent Sector Places for the Termination of Pregnancy (Abortion) which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/313443/final_updated_RSOPs_21_May_2014.pdfThis policy is also reflected in the Government’s Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England.This Government is committed to improving perinatal mental health services for women during pregnancy and in the first postnatal year, so that all women who need services are able to access the right care at the right time and close to home. We have committed to invest £365 million in specialist perinatal mental health services from 2015/16 to 2020/21.A range of universal and specialist services are involved in the identification, care and support of women experiencing perinatal mental illness. Among women being treated for perinatal mental health problems, the majority (about 90%) are looked after in primary care, including Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2014). Women with more complex or severe conditions require the support of specialist perinatal mental services. These include community perinatal mental health teams that provide treatment and support for women in the community and specialist mother and baby units providing in-patient psychiatric care.

Cancer

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to reduce the financial burden on people with cancer which arises from their condition and affects their ability to recover.

Jane Ellison: In its report Achieving World Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020 (July 2015), the independent Cancer Taskforce called for an acceleration of the commissioning and provision of services to support people affected by cancer to live as healthy and as happy lives as possible. Over the last few years, NHS England has been working with Macmillan Cancer Support to roll out the Recovery Package, which describes a set of actions that ensure that the individual needs of all people going through cancer treatment and beyond are met by tailored support and services. By working through a Recovery Package, patients and clinicians assess patients’ holistic needs and plan appropriately for their care and support. They ensure that a treatment summary is sent between a patient’s hospital and their general practitioner (GP), that they are appropriately followed up by their GP, and can attend health and wellbeing events for patients and carers.In September 2015, we announced that by 2020, the 280,000 people diagnosed with cancer every year will benefit from a tailored recovery package. In April 2016, NHS England published guidance on the commissioning of these services to support people living with and beyond cancer, and will continue to support both Sustainability and Transformation Plan footprints and clinical commissioning groups to put this guidance into action. Support for patients living with and beyond cancer should be tailored specifically to the needs of every patient, including to access the financial support they need.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the article by Marta N. Shahbazi et al, entitled Self-organisation of the human embryo in the absence of material tissues, Nature Cell Biology (2016) and by Alessia Deglincerti et al, entitled Self-organisation of the in vitro attached human embryo, Nature 553, 251 to 254, of 12 May 2016, if he will instruct the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to require prolonged culture for up to 13 days or longer of any human embryos generated by (a) pronuclear transfer and (b) spindle-chromosomal complex transfer prior to clinical application of either of these techniques.

Jane Ellison: It will be for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, as the United Kingdom national regulatory body, to determine what evidence must be provided by clinics seeking a licence to provide mitochondrial donation treatment to patients, and any conditions that are to be placed on the licence. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended, prohibits the keeping or using of embryos for longer than 14 days or the appearance of the primitive streak, whichever is the earlier.

Coeliac Disease

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will ensure that people with coeliac disease can continue to get prescriptions for gluten-free foods.

Alistair Burt: Gluten-free foods are available on National Health Service prescription to patients with established gluten-sensitive enteropathies. The Department provides general practitioners (GPs) and other prescribers with a list of recommended gluten-free products to help patients, including those with coeliac disease, to manage their condition.Prescribing decisions are a matter for GPs and other prescribers. They should always satisfy themselves that the medicines or other substances they consider appropriate for their patients can be safely prescribed and that patients are adequately monitored.